Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id VAA26632 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 7 Feb 2002 21:37:26 GMT X-Originating-IP: [194.117.133.84] From: "Steve Drew" <srdrew_1@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 21:31:47 +0000 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F102JTiVOOouFcthql30000c3cc@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Feb 2002 21:31:47.0968 (UTC) FILETIME=[D9069800:01C1B01E] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 13:16:00 -0000
From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
Subject: RE:
<Religions do reject the notion of falsifiability, but not the proof
of gods existence. "except by faith" etc is their proof, which i agree
is
not
>scientific. If you do have a proof of gods non existance, i would love
to
>know as there are always god botherers around i would like to upset.>
>
I think you need to examine religions' claims more closely, to see
how religion involves a fundamental rejection of real world evidence- it
has
to otherwise nobody would believe the silly stories of virgin births,
the
"power" of prayer, let alone omniscient deities. The whole point of
religion is to deny the validty and credibility of the idea of testing
claims in the real world, you must simply believe. Look, for example,
at
the circular remarks of faith healers when confronted by the obviouly
unhealed people they get up on stage- basically it's not their fault
(for
being the worst kind of vultures), it's the fault of the sick people
themselves for not believing enough.<
I am aware of how religion rejects the world. It is also worth remembering
that many religions started before science (as we would call it) existed.
Hence any explanation that *offered an explanation* could be acceptable to
people who had no way of disproving them no matter how absurd. In the
absence of say medicine except in rudimentary form, a faith healers claims
are logical, in that if you do not have faith you will not be cured - a
circular argument. That applies even today, even if we agree that it is BS.
You may be interested that some half wit papal aide has just said that
people are ill because they are sinners, and that those who do not sin tend
to be healthy and pretty (Times, London, 7/2/02). needless to say some god
botherers with more sense then claimed that isn’t what was meant etc. On
another note, the *creationist scientists* [I shall wash my hands and
keydoard after i have written this :- ) ] would claim that it does stand up
to scientific scrutiny. I have to abmit that i can’t understand what that
has to do with my original comment.
<What i meant by atheism having anti women components was as i said,
that those of the reductionist sociobiological bent force roles upon
males
and female, with the females copping for the worst of it.>
>Well, I'm not sure that's true, after all if the sociobiologists are
right, it is women who dominate human mate choice, or at the very least
are
as equally active as men<
This is assuming that all sociobiologists accept the same things and come to
the same conclusion, but fair enough that was a bad example. I’ll try
another - didn’t Hitler claim to be an atheist? I wasn’t aware that Atheism
confered on its followers logic, rationallity and the pursuit of truth. :-
)
<One of my tutors pointed out that agnosticism may be the best
choice - God
>may or may not exist, but i will worry about it only when he knocks
on my
>
>door.>
>
>I think agnosticism is the worst kind of fence sitting you can do.
It's a refusal to commit.
Vincent<
Fence sitting it is not. In the absence of definitive proof either way, to
make a decision on this would be based on what? - a feeling, balance of
probabilities etc. It is not that i refuse to take a position on the matter,
but that the matter is irrelevant. A decision is not required on something
that is irrelevant.
Regards,
Steve
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